Frontline Conversations

In this episode of Frontline Conversations, former IPS officer and security expert Yashovardhan Jha Azad speaks about the recent bomb blast in Delhi and what it reveals about India’s internal security landscape. Drawing on his decades of experience in the Intelligence Bureau and the Government of India, Azad describes the attack as an inflection point—one that exposes gaps in policing, community vigilance, intelligence coordination and the limits of over-reliance on technology.

Originally published on December 2, 2025

In this episode of Frontline Conversations, author Sunil Tambe, discusses his Marathi book Monsoon Jan Gan Man, which argues that the monsoon—not religion, language, or ethnicity—is the true binding force of the Indian subcontinent. In a political moment dominated by hyper-majoritarian nationalism, Tambe suggests that understanding India requires understanding the monsoon: its ecology, its rhythms, and the civilisations it has shaped.

Originally published on November 22, 2025

In this episode of Frontline Conversations, Sunil Kant Munjal—Chairman of Hero Enterprise and Founder-Patron of the Serendipity Arts Festival—speaks about the making of one of India’s most unique cultural platforms. Now in its 10th year, the festival in Panaji, Goa, brings together visual arts, theatre, music, dance, literature, culinary arts, craft, and new-media practices on a scale unmatched in the country.

Originally published on November 17, 2025

In this episode of Frontline Conversations, wildlife biologist K. Ullas Karanth, one of the world’s foremost tiger conservation experts, examines the recent spike in human–tiger conflict around Bandipur National Park. Drawing on decades of field research in Nagarhole, Bandipur, and other Western Ghats reserves, Karanth explains why rising tiger densities, habitat manipulation, and irrational human responses are driving dangerous encounters.

Originally published on November 15, 2025

In this episode of Frontline Conversations, lawyer and activist Prashant Bhushan speaks with Frontline about the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and the growing concerns over voter disenfranchisement, transparency, and political manipulation. Bhushan dissects the Election Commission of India's (ECI) opaque process, alleging that the SIR risks becoming a tool to exclude minorities and dissenting voters rather than purify the rolls.

Originally published on November 13, 2025

In this episode of Frontline Conversations, academic and author, Anand Teltumbde speaks with Frontline’s Amey Tirodkar about his latest book, The Caste Con Census, and the turbulent debate over the caste census in India. Teltumbde questions whether enumeration can dismantle caste or whether it risks reinforcing the very hierarchies it claims to challenge.

Originally published on November 8, 2025

In the latest episode of Frontline Conversations, senior journalist Nirupama Subramanian speaks with Vignesh Rajahmani, author of "The Dravidian Pathway: How the DMK Redefined Power and Identity in South India". The discussion explores how a century-old social reform movement evolved into a durable political force that reshaped Tamil Nadu’s social and political landscape. Rajahmani traces the movement’s early roots from the Justice Party, to its formation under Periyar and Annadurai, and its transformation into a political organisation grounded in social justice, linguistic pride, and regional identity.

Originally published on November 7, 2025

In this episode of Frontline Conversations, Dipankar, General Secretary of the CPI(M-L) Liberation, speaks with Vaishna Roy, Frontline’s editor and Anand Mishra, Frontline’s Political Editor, about the shifting political landscape in Bihar ahead of the 2025 elections.

Originally published on November 4, 2025

In this exclusive interview with Frontline, Priyank Kharge, Karnataka’s Minister of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Information Technology, and Biotechnology, discusses his call to regulate RSS and other organisations’ activities in government schools, colleges, and public spaces.

Originally published on October 18, 2025.

In this episode of Frontline Conversations, ghatam player Sumana Chandrashekar shares her journey as one of the few women percussionists in Carnatic music. In her new memoir, “Song of the Clay Pot – My Journey With the Ghatam”, she traces her path from a mystical calling to mastering an instrument long at the margins of tradition.

Originally published on October 13, 2025.